Gathering (1)

What kind of being is a 'god,' exactly?

On Earth, many people believe in gods based solely on 'faith,' while many others consider them beings humans created in their imaginations. Because freedom of religion exists, whether one believes in gods or not is a matter of personal choice. For the record, I'm an atheist.

But denying the existence of gods in this world is more than troublesome—it can be disastrous. Unlike Earth, 'gods' undeniably exist here. In fact, there have been multiple instances of lunatics causing a commotion while proclaiming that gods did not exist, only to be struck by lightning from a clear sky and receive 'divine punishment.'

However, gods aren't omniscient and omnipotent in the literal sense of the word 'god.' They are closer to absolute or transcendent beings who watch over the world. They also take their followers' faith as sustenance, grant them power, and inflict divine punishment if they commit acts that violate the rules. In some cases, they perform miracles or deliver divine revelations through their own 'avatars.'

In short, gods and their followers could be said to have a relationship akin to that between parents and children—perhaps an even deeper one.

'God, huh...'

At present, while attending a theology lecture, my mind was elsewhere.

In my previous life, countless arguments had taken place over whether theology ought to be considered an academic discipline, but in this world, it was one of the most important fields of study. With the existence of gods so clear, it would be stranger if theology hadn't developed.

That was why the professor currently teaching theology was an individual of no less than archbishop rank. In terms of nobility, I understood that he wielded roughly as much power as a count.

"The God of Light, Luminous, said this: You don't have to believe in me. However, always strive to walk the righteous path. I will help you walk the righteous path. And..."

There were three gods in this world.

First was the God of Light, 'Luminous,' whom the professor had mentioned. Luminous was primarily worshiped by humans, and with an enormous number of followers, his influence on the world was truly immense.

There were many words symbolizing Luminous, but the ones known most widely were 'the sun' and 'hope.' Perhaps for that reason, many soldiers who went to war, where their lives hung in the balance, were followers of Luminous. I believe my father had been one as well.

Second was the God of Darkness, 'Mora.' Uniquely, Mora was the goddess worshiped by the demonkin, because she symbolized darkness—in other words, 'the moon' and 'rest.' Looking at the demonkin's bleak reality, one could understand what kind of rest they longed for.

Finally, there was the God of Nature, 'Hirt.' This god was primarily worshiped by the beastfolk and dwarves.

What Hirt represented was 'nature' itself, and for the beastfolk who had lived in the wild, there could hardly have been a god as comforting as Hirt. The dwarves, too, worshiped Hirt because they knew that the 'materials' for their creations came from nature.

One might ask which god the elves worshiped, but the elves worshiped all three. Perhaps because they were descendants of 'angels,' they could use divine power more easily than the other races.

As I was once again reminded of the gap between the elves and the other races, a question occurred to me.

'Do the gods know why I was reincarnated here?'

But I had not the slightest intention of going to a temple to ask them. I was living quite well as it was, and I hated having circumstances become needlessly complicated.

Besides, since they were gods, there was a strong chance they had noticed my existence long ago. Even so, there had been no news of a divine revelation or an avatar appearing. That was why I had been enjoying a peaceful life until now.

If I got the opportunity, I intended to visit a temple, but until then, I would live normally. It wasn't as though I possessed the power to turn the world upside down like the protagonist of a manga or novel, so why would they pay attention to me...

'...Does that include the novels I write?'

Anyway, I should move on. Focusing on the lecture took priority over everything else. I shook the thoughts from my mind.

Once I had cast aside all my thoughts and looked ahead, I saw the professor lecturing in a gentle, measured tone.

The professor, distinguished by his great height and extremely thin build, was named Hollard. He held the prestigious rank of archbishop in the Church of Luminous and was apparently a highly renowned figure.

I glanced around while listening to the professor's explanation. Perhaps because theology was a class as boring as history, there weren't many students sitting in the lecture hall. They were highly likely to be devout followers of the gods they worshiped.

How did I know? Many students had joined out of curiosity, only to flee from boredom beyond anything they had imagined. Personally, I was interested in the subject, so I attended the lectures regularly. The problem was...

Nod- Nod-

Marie, sitting beside me, was currently nodding off. I stared at her as she bobbed her head with her eyelids half closed.

Every time she nodded off, the pen in her hand drew scribbles in her notebook, while her silky white hair gradually began to cover her face.

Eventually, Marie's eyelids closed completely, and her head slowly drooped. She had gone beyond drowsiness and fallen fully asleep.

'I'm sure she was still listening well as recently as last week...'

For the record, theology was a nine-o'clock class. What had Marie done the previous night to start nodding off from the very first lecture?

I was a little curious, but for now, it seemed best to wake her. Since I couldn't touch her, I held my hand near Marie's ear.

Snap!

"...Mm?"

When I snapped my fingers, Marie flinched, then slowly lifted the head she had let fall. As she raised it, the hair that had hung over her face like a curtain shifted aside a little as well, revealing a somewhat dazed expression in profile.

I opened my mouth, certain that she was still only half awake.

"Are you awake?"

"...Huh?"

At my question, Marie turned her head toward me in a daze. Her hazy appearance gave her a different kind of charm. Since she usually showed only her lively side, this felt new.

Even as I thought that, Marie still seemed unable to grasp the situation. She blinked, then looked ahead. Perhaps she understood after seeing the professor lecturing, because she shifted her gaze back to me and asked in an incredulous voice.

"...Don't tell me I fell asleep?"

"Yeah. You were nodding off pretty deeply."

"Mmmgh..."

In response, Marie rubbed her eyelids and let out a groan. While she woke up, I voiced the question I had been holding inside.

"What were you doing yesterday to fall asleep during the very first class?"

"...The Chronicle of Xenon."

"What?"

"Yaaawn..."

Marie let out a long yawn, then answered in a hoarse voice.

"I stayed up all night rereading everything from Volume 1 through the latest volume. I originally meant to read only up to Volume 3, but somehow I ended up reading it all..."

"... ..."

"You know, don't you? Professor Birus told us to predict how The Chronicle of Xenon would unfold for our group assignment."

I was left speechless. The group assignment would begin in earnest in a week. This meant that, by her standards, she had been researching diligently.

Still, getting so enthusiastic that she ruined her sleep schedule wasn't a good idea. If she kept that up, she might end up losing both.

"Still, take it easy. Otherwise, it'll be hard to focus on lectures like today."

"But what can I do? It's too interesting. I'm already looking forward to the next volume..."

I could only smile bitterly to myself at Marie's complaint. As the author, I was happy to hear it, but the next volume wouldn't be released for at least two months.

Before entering the Academy, I had enough chapters stockpiled for Volume 8 to be released earlier. But now I barely had time to write, and once exam season approached, even that would become difficult.

On top of that, when I considered the time I spent teaching Cindy how to write and teaching history to Marie and Cecily, I practically had none left. I did return to my dormitory to write during free periods, but I needed some time to breathe too.

'At least it lets me establish the setting in painstaking detail...'

The papers and books in the research lab were an enormous help to me. Moreover, Cindy's writing ability might have been lacking, but she was quite knowledgeable about history and clearly explained the things I was curious about.

Because of that, Volume 9 of The Chronicle of Xenon was going to be an entertaining episode in many ways. The commanders on the demons' side, who had been gradually revealing their presence until now, would finally begin taking action in earnest, delivering many fresh shocks.

That was because the demon commanders included not only humans, beastfolk, and demonkin, but even elves. For the record, their background was based on the 'Seven Deadly Sins,' a concept commonly used in the subculture of my previous life, and each of them possessed a special ability.

As I briefly recalled the details of the setting in my mind, Marie looked down at her notebook and muttered.

"...Looks like I really did fall asleep. What did I write here?"

"Rather than writing anything, you just drew a line."

"Tch. Sorry, but do you have any notes from class? If you show them to me, I'll buy you something delicious."

"Phew... Just this once, okay?"

"Thanks~"

When I showed Marie the parts I had written down, she smiled brightly and began copying them. However, there was one thing I had overlooked.

"Mmph..."

"... ..."

Sleep didn't go away easily in the first place.

I could only be dumbfounded when Marie began nodding off again while copying my notes. Why had she asked me to show them if she was going to do this?

I was just about to let out a deep sigh and wake Marie when—

"Just let her sleep. Marie tends to sleep a lot, so if she goes to bed late once, she'll keep nodding off."

It was Rina, seated to my right. She watched Marie nodding off with an expression that said this was nothing unusual.

After hearing her, I asked as though to confirm that it was really all right.

"Is it really okay to let her sleep? What if she gets demerits or something...?"

"It's fine. Marie has learned enough to get a decent grade in theology. I can guarantee that, since I was educated alongside her at the imperial palace."

From what Rina said, it seemed that she and Marie had previously undergone separate, advanced training. Well, as a princess and the daughter of a ducal family, they must have received an education completely different from that of other nobles.

As I listened to her, I brought up the question I had been keeping to myself.

"I've been wondering about this for a while, but when did you and Marie first get to know each other, Lady Rina?"

"Probably... around the age of ten? I believe that's when we first met."

"I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious."

Marie was usually uncomfortable around Rina. Whenever Marie looked at Rina, she frowned, so it wasn't difficult to notice.

However, since I couldn't ask either of them directly about the reason, I decided to keep it buried in my heart.

Perhaps Rina found my answer rather bland, because she gave a small chuckle before calling my name.

"Isaac."

"Yes."

"Isaac, are you interested in gatherings?"

"Gatherings?"

"Yes. A gathering."

While I looked at her in puzzlement, Rina smiled brightly and spoke to me.

"There's going to be a gathering soon, though it will only be for freshmen. Still, students from all fields, whether liberal arts or natural sciences, will gather, so there should be a lot of people."

"...This is the first I've heard of it."

"My older brother told me about it in advance. The Academy will announce it soon, too. What do you think?"

Rina met my eyes directly and urged me again with an expression full of anticipation and interest.

"Are you going to attend, Isaac?"

Calling it an invitation or a request would be putting it kindly.

"Attendance is up to each person, but personally, I really want you to come—'without fail.'"

It was no different from an order issued by the 'princess.'

'...This is so unfair.'

If Volume 9 of The Chronicle of Xenon came out late, it would be Rina's fault.